Baltimore Ravens: Bold Predictions for Week 1 Matchup With Bengals

September 10, 2012; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens linebacker Courtney Upshaw (91) bats down a pass by Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton (14) at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

Season previews be gone. It’s game time, and that means we are looking at the Baltimore Ravens’ Week 1 Matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals.

In my season preview, I said the Ravens would go 11-5 and win the AFC North. That I think the Ravens should win this game should go without saying.

Outside of a Ravens’ win, I expect some more big stories to come out of this game. Here are some of my bold predictions for what to expect.

Brandon Williams Will Have a Coming Out Party

Not since Kelly Gregg was sporting purple and black have the Ravens had a big-time nose tackle lining up in the middle of their defense. Yes, Haloti Ngata played the position last year, but he was out of position. Brandon Williams is a natural nose tackle, and he has a chance to be the best nose tackle in team history. Better than Sam Adams, better than Tony Siragusa and better than Gregg.

That’s high praise, but Williams has earned it based on his physical ability and preseason play.

Everyone knows what a physical freak Williams is. A bench press over 550 pounds and the ability to walk on his hands just scratch the surface of Williams’ physical gifts.

Last year, Williams struggled to turn those gifts into production. Having come from a small college, Williams had a steep learning curve and looked raw.

But an offseason of hard work, both in the weight room and the film room, have helped Williams turn into an unblockable freak. Williams excels at the traditional nose tackle role of taking on blockers, but he also is far more disruptive than the traditional nose tackle.

Against rookie center Russell Bodine, Williams should have a coming out party. Expect several plays in the backfield for the massive nose tackle, and don’t be surprised if by the end of the season, Williams is mentioned in the same breath as Haloti Ngata as the Ravens best defensive lineman.

The Bengals Will Out Gain the Ravens and Still Lose

One thing Andy Dalton consistently does is find ways to lose against the Ravens. In 2013, for instance, Dalton threw seven(!) interceptions in the Bengals’ two games against the Ravens.

I would expect the same struggles from Dalton this year, especially considering his receiving corps being decimated by injuries.

Still, the Bengals are talented. A.J. Green and Tyler Eifert are the real deal, and the Bengals defense is a borderline dominant group. Further, Joe Flacco has struggled against the Bengals in the past, especially last year.

Even though I expect somewhat of a resurgence from the Ravens offense, the Ravens defense isn’t markedly better that last year’s group. That’s why I think the Bengals will out gain the Ravens.

But last season aside, Flacco and the Ravens are usually good at avoiding compounding mistakes, which is why Flacco had never thrown more than 12 interceptions prior to last season. The Bengals don’t have that same skill, especially Dalton. Get Dalton off his game, and he will provide turnovers.

And that’s exactly what I expect to happen. Dalton will provide at least two turnovers, which should help the Ravens win the game.

Fans Will Over React When the Ravens Ground Game Struggles

Ravens fans want to see a strong ground game in Baltimore, and it would be quite a feat for the Ravens to be worse than last year in that regard. That said, Cincinnati gave up less than 100 yards per game on the ground in 2013. Don’t expect this to be the coming out party for the Ravens’ rushing attack.

And that’s fine. The Ravens don’t need 200 rushing yards to win this game, or even to win games in general. They just need the ground game to present a viable threat. That means being able to consistently pick up short-yardage situations (a weakness in recent years), being able to pick up three or four yards on first down runs and not allowing plays to get blown up in the backfield.

Do that, and Kubiak will have a lot more flexibility as a play caller. With even a semblance of a ground game, the play-action pass becomes a weapon, whether a deep pass or that play-action pass to Kyle Juszczyk in the flat that will be a staple this year.

I would consider the Ravens fortunate if they average above four yards per carry, and I’d be surprised if they gain more than 110 yards on the ground. That will be enough to win the game, but probably not enough to assuage fans’ fears of another anemic rushing attack.

Stat Predictions

Joe Flacco: 18 completions, 32 attempts, 225 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception

Flacco rarely has big games against the Bengals, but he should at least be relatively efficient. Kubiak won’t ask him to do too much.

Bernard Pierce: 20 carries, 75 yards, 1 touchdown

Like I said above, fans will want to see more than this from Pierce, but a 20-carry game of consistent three-to-four yard gains will make a world of difference for the Ravens against a stout Cincinnati defense.

Torrey Smith: 3 catches, 40 yards

Torrey Smith has only gained above 60 yards once in his career against the Bengals. Their Cover-2 defense has always flummoxed the Ravens deep passing game, and that won’t change in this game. Smith will be more or less neutralized as a result.

Steve Smith: 6 catches, 65 yards, 1 touchdown

Steve Smith brings the underneath element to the passing game that should help counteract the Bengals fierce pass rush and good deep coverage. He will be a point of emphasis and should rack up plenty of catches.

Dennis Pitta: 5 catches, 45 yards

Like Steve Smith, Pitta will probably be a point of emphasis. In his lone game against Cincinnati last year, Pitta caught 8 balls, pretty much all in the short passing game. Expect a similar result this time, but slightly fewer targets for the talented tight end.

Ravens Will Win 24-16

I’m projecting a rattled Dalton to throw multiple interceptions, and I’ll guess a big special teams play will help the Ravens out as well. Pees’ defense should hold the Bengals primarily to field goals, while the passing game has a chance to be relatively efficient. That will be enough for the extra motivated Ravens to win at home.